National Republican., 1887-12-02

bureau Of engraving and printing, has sub
mitted to the Secretary OF the Treasury q
report Of the operations Of his bureau for
the past fiscal year. During that period
there were delivered to the various depart
ments and bureaus Of the government
32,652,207 eheets Of securities, an increase
of nearly 6,0OO, 900 sheets over the quantity
delivered in the preceding year. or United
States notes, certificates, and bonds, and
national bank notes there were produced
7,1S4,s66 sheets, representing value Of
$13S,276, 200; Of internal revenue stamps,
24,36s, 700 sheets, containing 6OO, ,42s 200
stamps; Of customs stamps, 3l4, 200 sheets,
containing 1850, 200 stamps; and OF miscel-
laneous securities, 7s5,94l sheets. The
checks, drafts, ana similar documents, and
apart Of the internal revenue stamps are
delivered In bound books, OF which 77,144
volumes were turned out during the year.
The estimated production ON which the
appropriation for the year was based was
29,532, $50 sheets OF securities. The actual
production was more than 10000 sheets
In excess OF this estimate. This arose In
part from the delivery after the beginning
OF the fiscal year OF q quantity OF internal
revenue stamps printed during the preced
more stamps and fewer national bank notes
than was anticipated. AS the stamps cost
less than the notes, larger quantity OF the
former than OF the latter could be produced
for a given cum. But even after making
these allowances the showing Is very ia
vorable one.
At the end OF October the deliveries OF
certificates OF the three denominations had
reached $47044,C COO, OF which $l7,9l6 900
was In 81 certificates, $l1, l2S,000 was 10 81
certificates, and $ls,900,0O0 was In S5 GER
ti1cates.
There were delivered during the year
5,052, COO In United States notes and Ger
tifcates OF the denominations OF 500 and
under. No notes or certificates OF higher
denomination were printed, although some
previously printed were delivered to the
treasurer.
The total expenses of the bureau for the
past year were S704,477.90. The net ex.
penditure chow an increase over those OF
the preceding year Of SAL ,25l.SS, or only 81
per cent, while the increase In the work
turned out Is 22l per cent. OF the increased
expenditure S35, 7l05l, or all but $5,54l 81,
was for plate printing, which, being paid by
the piece, must increase In cost as the WORK
done increases. Although these results are
subject to some qualification by reason OF
the facts already mentioned as to the In
crease In the deliveries for 1887, and OF the
contained some items OF permanent
nature not properly chargeable to the years
work, enough remains to show substantial
gain In economy over the preceding year,
which, in it's turn, showed remarkable
improvement In this respect upon any pre-
cediDg year In the history OF the bureau.
The estimates for the fiscal 1889 show q
1883. This increase is due to the greatly
increased estimates made by the various
branches OF the government OF the guam.
tity Of securities which they will require In
that year. These estimates of the amount
of work to be done have been adopted
without modification as the basis OF the
estimates Of the appropriation TO be made.
The estimated demand for each class OF
securities for 1850, with the exception of
national bank notes, is greatly In excess
both Of the actual production OF 1887 and
Of the estimated production Of 1888. AS
compared with the current year the increase
In the total quantity of securities to be
40 per cent. The increase in United States
notes and certificates is 5000, 900 sheets, or
h0ie tndn 80 per cent, and the increase ir
internal revenue stamps Is l2, ,743 900 sheets
or more than SO per cent. The execution
OF this enormous quantity OF work will taS
the capacity Of the bureau to the utmost.
Space for the performance OF the additional
by this bureau only by the use Of labor.
saving machines in all OF the processes @
which they are adapted. The estim ites
were accordingly maze on the assumption
that large part Of the additional printing
will be done on steam plate printing presses
Six machines of the kind known as the
"Milligan" press have for a number oi
yeurs been used successfully in printing
certain varieties Of green iuternal revenue
stamps. During the last fiscal year six i'm.
proved machines of this pattern were intro
duced and applied with signal success to
tie printing Of the backs Of the Que aud
two dollar silver certificates. All Of the
dollar backs printed since Jan. 81
1887, and all Of the two dollar backs printed
since April 90, 1887, have been printed on
these presses In style fully equal to that
Of work OF the same class done on the hand
roller presses. The great increase since the
beginning Of the present fiscal year In the
demand for internal revenue stamps has
led to the purchase, within the last two
Improvements, on which to print part oi
the cigar stamps. The difficulties incident
to the Introduction of all new machinery
had to be contended with at first, but they
have been overcome and large part Of the
stamps Of this class are now being printed
on the steam power presses. Without the
aid oi these presses, which are now In full
been Impossible to meet the demands of the
internal revenue bureau for this class OF
work.
The annual saving from the use OF steam
presses will then be $l49, 900, and the az
gregate work performed by 2l0 printer
working on the two kinds Of presses will b,
anT to the RT0s1St Of S.nS the SSr Of At saS
number for which It would be quite im
possible to find room In the building, tt
cay nothing of the impossibility Of securing
the additional number of competent work
men.
The estimate for 1889 as compared will
the appropriations for the current fisca
yesr is $l,152,9l5.
comparison OF the quantity OF worl
proposed 10 be done In 1889 with the guam
tity produced by like expenditure IL
former years shows great gain In economy
The expenditures In 1889 closely approach
the estimated expenditures in 1889. Ii
that year the net expenses OF the bureau
emitting certain items now charged to sep
arate appropriations, were 81 ,0SS,000. Tut
number OF sheets OF securities turned on
was, however only 39 ,330,746 while The
estimated production for 1889, with an ex
perditure increased less than per cent II
l,l5O,O5O sheets, an increase OF more thar
So per cent.
The number OF persons employed on july
!, 1896, was $50. At the date OF the las
report the number had run down to Sl7 IL
consequence of the slackness of work IL
the earlier part OF the fiscal year. A subse
quent increase In work caused slight in
crease In the force, which at the close o
the fiscal year stood at SAL Ninety'on
persons left the service during the year
Of whom "A were discharged for misconduct
inefliciency, or absence without leave, 81
voluntarily resigned, were transferred h
other rolls, and died. Thirty former em
ployes were recalled to the service, and O.
original appointments were made, In cou
and the additional work to be done, tn,
force has been considerably increased sine